Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-06-15
FARMERS ALLIANCE.
Tho Minnesota Organization Hold Their
Spring Meeting and Formulate
Their Wishes.

The executive committee of the
i Farmers Alliance of Minnesota held
their spring meeting at st. Paul during
the last week in May and expressed
their views by reading the following
document to President Cleveland, the
Inter State Commerce commission,
Gov. McGill, and the Minnesota Rail-
road commission. j
We respectfully request the interstate
railway commissioners to see to it that the
law regulating Interstate commerce be
vigorously enforced in all its provisions, es-
pecially that part relating to the long and
short haul. |
or all the great abuses which have grown
up under the management of railways, as
lately conducted in the United States, it
seems to us thatnone is more dangerous to
the public welfare than that arising from
the practice of discrimination in favor of
particular localities which is practically the
same as discrimination in favor of particular
persons. '$ ~v = s.
Such business interests as can be sustained
only by reason Of the suspension of Sect. 4,
~ See1uS W us ouSAt noI W DC sustained at
all; for IN case of suspension those places,
only could flourish for whose benefit a sus-
pension is made, while all others must nee
essarily languish; it is better in our opinion
that the business of country be left to the
natural law OF trade. to the effort of in
munities, than that a few favored persons
in certain favored places should be able to
organize and carry a colossal enterprise be-
cause OF advantages in the use of the rail-
ways of the country. -.
we urge. also upon the interstate COM
mission that they take measures
for enforcing equal and reasonable
rates. It is absolutely essential to
to the public welfare That all persons
have the right to use the public highways of
there must be freedom of traffic every where.
1t is necessary to public prosperity that the
rates shall be reasonable as we'll as equal;
it is not reasonable to pay dividends upon
fictitious capital, nor is it reasonable that
Railway officials shall vote themselves
cred up from the people while the men upon
whose faithfullness and efficiency the lives
and property of the public depend often
In great extremities and peril, are paid
meagre salaries. The men who daily risk
their lives in positions which tax nerve,
brain and heart, ought to be well paid, for
none but men of the highest character
should occupy stations upon which SO much
depends.
We therefore respectfully urge upon the
United States Railway Commissioners the
propriety of considering the entire man.
agementot railway expenditures with q
view of correcting gross evils, the effect of
which goes further than the mere expendi-
ture Of dollars and cents. There is de-
moraGzing influence upon the people that
can scarcely be measured, even by the
most thoughtful, in the fact that the sala-
rles OF the highest officials of the. States and
of the United States are Insignificant when
compared to the amounts received by rail-
way officials. While Gen. Grant was serv-
ing the public for Fifty Thousand (s5O, 600 !
Dollars per annum as its President, Ger
I tain railway magnate is said 10 have re-
ceived for his services as President of
Railways not less than One Hundred and
seventy-fve Thousand (s175,0OO) Dollars
per annum.
A railway will pay one Of its attorneys
more for few hours talk before the Su-
preme Court of the United States than the
Chief Justice of that august tribunal re-
nous salaries are added vast sums-all
gathered up from the people-partly from
Legitimate gains not open to the public
gaze, and partly because of rates levied to
pay dividends upon FRAUDULENT stocks and in
aated bonds. All these it seems to us are
proper objects for investigation by the Com
mission which the people under the law Gre
atlng that Commission have invested with
vast discretionary powers intended for
their protection. We look to the Commits
Aoners to 60 to the root of the matter and
pledge them an earnest support in every
honest effort to eradicate the enormous
evils which have done so much already to
confuse the public judgment and the ten
dency Of which it is to corrupt and contain
mate all public life.
We call attention of the Railway Com
missioners of this State to the fact that its
citizens are being levied upon to pay inter-
est on nearly one hundred million ($1OO, 0JO,-
OOOl dollars of fictitious capital.
The last legislature gave them ample pow
er to suppress the gigantic fraud. The peo-
pie of the State look to the Commission to
take effective measures to relieve them
from the payment of unreasonable rates
amounting in the aggregate to nearly ten
million oslo, vO0, 600 dollars annually. ..
The attention of the Commission is also
called to the necessity of the enforcement
of the law enacted by the last legislature
entitled an act to provide for freedom of
traffic in the State of Minnesota Our
great Lake port and other waterways must
be open to access from every part of the
State without hindrance, every obstacle in
the way of reaching Duluth and other
waterways by easy and direct routes must
be removed. Wheat is our great staple
and upon the successful and profitable
growing OF that cereal this State depends
very largely for its prosperity. The low
price Of wheat in the markets Of the world
make it necessary that this staple should
be transported at the lowest rates practi-
cable without injustice to the. corporations.
We call the Commissioners attention to the
resolutions On this subject adopted at the
last annual meeting of the State farmers
Alliance. We believe these rates to be
liberal inasmuch as they are more than
double the rates which now prevail be tween
st. Paul and Chicago. where the rates are
established by the law of competition, and
respectfully request the Commissioners to
use the authority with which they have
been invested to put them in force. These
rates are: For all distance over 20 miles
and under 80 miles cents per one hundred
pounds 400, over 80 miles and under so
miles l-2 cents per 100 lbs. over so miles
and under Is miles 5 cents; over rs miles
and under LOO miles 1-2 cents per 100 lbs;
over 100 miles and under $50 miles IL
cents per 100 lbs. for all distances over 1855
miles and less. than 800 miles from IL
to u ~ cents per 100 lbs. according to
distance. all distances between 800 and 400
miles from 1271z to 16 cents per 100 lbs.
We are gratifed to see that there has been
slight reduction in incoming freights, it is
a step in the right direction but only a step,
let the movement proceed until the rates
are brought down to the basis where COM
petition exists. ISL.
We resneoffI11Jv remind fba Evao,,x;~a 20